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Egg-Filled Ravioli

Although my family made plenty of ravioli, only two filling recipes were prepared, one for ravioli served in tomato sauce and the other for cappelletti served in soup. I’ve been told that Mom and Zia experimented with cheese-filled ravioli but were never satisfied with them and gave up trying after a few attempts. Then, a few years ago, after having mastered the recipe for Bartolini sausage, I used it to fill ravioli and I was off and running. Since then, I’ve made a number different fillings, most dependent upon what was fresh and in-season at the time. Never, though, did I make today’s recipe, Egg-Filled Ravioli, Uova da Raviolo.

Last year, my blogging friend, Sarah, prepared these delectable ravioli using chicken eggs. Though she no longer maintains her blog, the memory of that dish stayed with me and I decided to surprise Zia with the dish. Since my family never made ravioli large enough to encompass the yolk of a chicken egg, I thought that if I used quail eggs, the ravioli would be much smaller and more in line with my family’s traditions. Well, when I went to buy the quail eggs in September before my trip home for honey, the vendor at the farmers market didn’t have any. My plans would have to wait until my next trip. In the meantime, my friend Celi posted her delicious recipe for these extraordinary ravioli and, not long after, my friend Eva posted her “delightful” recipe. Luckily, Zia saw neither post so my plans remained secret. Weeks later, before my last trip home, I went to the vendor to buy the quail eggs. Not only did the vendor remember me, she gave me 2 packs of eggs for the price of one. Already into November and with her birthday to come in a few weeks, my surprise dinner became Zia’s birthday dinner, with these ravioli as primo piatto.

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In the past, I’ve mentioned that Mom loved Swiss chard (silverbeet), even managing to secure a small piece of Grandpa’s prized garden to grow some. Although our ravioli recipes normally use spinach in the filling, I substituted chard as a means of bringing Mom to Zia’s birthday dinner. The substitution worked so well that Zia mentioned she may use chard the next time she makes ravioli.

Now, when you look at the recipe, you’ll undoubtedly notice that there are few, if any, ingredient amounts listed. The fact that I didn’t have a proper scale is part of the reason but certainly not the sole cause. The proportion of the ingredients will rely upon the amount of chard that you have and your own tastes. Once the chard is cooked and readied for use, add the Pecorino Romano cheese and then enough ricotta until it tastes and looks like you prefer. At this point, there are no raw eggs in the filling, so, you can taste it without fear of becoming ill. Just remember the filling should be stiff enough to support an egg’s yolk.

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ETA

Since this was published, my good blogging friend, Minnie of The Lady 8 Home, posted an entry using scissors to open quail eggs. If you’re interested in making these ravioli, be sure to check out Minnie’s post.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over med-high heat. Add the Swiss chard, season with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sauté until cooked. Allow to cool, place in a clean kitchen towel, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

To your food processor, add the cooked chard, ricotta cheese, and a handful of Pecorino Romano cheese. Process until smooth. Set aside.

to make the ravioli

Place a strip of thinly rolled dough on a lightly floured work surface. (See Notes.)

Most machines create strips that are 6 inches wide. Place a tbsp of filling, at about 3 inch intervals, in a straight line about 2 inches from the strip’s edge.

Use a spoon to indent each tbsp of filling, creating a nest.

Carefully break each quail egg, separate the yolk, and place one yolk in each filling nest.

Use a pastry brush to lightly moisten the opposing side of the pasta strip.

Carefully cover the nests with the moistened side of the pasta strip. Use a glass or biscuit cutter to seal and cut each raviolo.

If air is trapped in a raviolo, use a toothpick to pierce the underside, being careful not to damage the enclosed yolk. Gently squeeze the trapped air out of the raviolo.

Place ravioli on a lightly floured, wax paper covered baking sheet. Cover the ravioli with a clean kitchen towel. Ravioli should be cooked as soon as possible. Keep refrigerated until ready for use.

to cook and serve

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over high heat.

Add the ravioli and when the boil returns, lower the heat and gently cook the ravioli for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt a few tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.

Use a spider strainer to remove the ravioli, placing them in the sauté pan with the melted butter.

Gently toss the ravioli until all are well-coated with butter.

Serve immediately, garnished with a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese.

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Add Tbsp filling to dough sheet, make a “nest”

Place an egg yolk to a “nest”

Fill all nests with egg yolks

Fold dough to cover egg-filled nests

Use a glass or biscuit cutter to seal and cut the each raviolo

Ready for cooking

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Variations

Although I served the ravioli dressed with melted butter, they may also be served with a sage-brown butter sauce or a fine extra virgin olive oil. Just be sure to garnish the dish with a sprinkling of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

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Notes

The pasta should be rolled very thin. The thicker the pasta, the longer it will take to cook the ravioli and you’ll run the risk of over-cooking the eggs. The yolks should be runny and not at all hard.

I had planned to serve these ravioli with a sage-brown butter sauce. When it came time to prepare the sauce, however, the sage went missing. With dinner already started and the nearest supply of fresh sage some 30 miles away, I decided it really wasn’t all that necessary and used butter and cheese to dress the pasta. As luck would have it, I was back here in Chicago when Zia came across the sage in her fridge, right where I’d left it.

These were served as a primo piatto. Frankly, there aren’t enough hours in a day to make enough of these ravioli for a main course. I had intended to make 6 per serving but, some time and a number of broken yolks later, I decided that 5 per serving would be plenty.

Quail eggshells are remarkably strong and the inner membrane is even more durable. Together, they make it difficult to break each egg and get to the yolk without it breaking. Buy more quail eggs than needed to allow for the inevitable loss of a yolk or two or three or …

Chances are, once you’ve made your ravioli, you’re going to have some pasta dough left over. Don’t throw it away but follow Mom’s example. She used the scraps to make quadretti pasta, which she kept sealed in an airtight container, adding to it every time she made pasta. These little pasta squares were added to broth and made a great meal. Click HERE to see step-by-step instructions for making quadretti pasta.

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Tutto Fatto

Out with the old

In with the new

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

In the old two-flat, it wouldn’t be Christmas if there wasn’t a platter of ravioli on the table. WIth today’s post sharing a new ravioli recipe, I thought today we’d also look back to the original Bartolini Ravioli Filling recipe, as well as the instructional post demonstrating how to use a ravioli form to make the pasta pillows. You can see each post by clicking on the caption under each photo below.

Great recipe for using up swiss chard! We have a lot of chard left over from our garden that needs to be eaten up and everyone is getting a little tired of it… this would be a good way for me to slip some more into a meal. I will have to forgo the quail eggs even though they do look lovely, I’m not a big fan of eggs. But I definitely will be keeping tabs on my sage if I make this though!

Thanks, Laura. Yes, keep an eye on that sage. I believe the package I bought had legs and was expert at hiding. Still, if you eliminate the egg yolks, you could dress these ravioli with any kind of sauce. I chose lighter sauces because I don’t think something heavy like a meat sauce would “work” with the egg yolks. Too bad we don’t live closer together, I would definitely relieve you of some of your chard. I love the stuff.

Your new steps look magnificent John, as does this ravioli. This has been a very educational post. I’ve never seen ravioli with a whole yolk inside. How absolutely delicious. I’m sure Zia was very appreciative. LOVE your idea of saving the pasta scraps for quadretti, and ‘Spider strainer’ is my new word of the week – so descriptive!
PS> That home-made ricotta of yours is very impressive too.

Thanks, Saskia, for the nice compliments. Normally, these ravioli are made with a chicken egg yolk and are much bigger, as a result. They’re served, one per person, as a starter. Although they’re good, they’re not found on many menus. You really cannot make them to far in advance because of the raw yolk. I imagine it’s difficult for a restaurant to spare kitchen staff to make ravioli on a busy night.
Keeping quadretti in the kitchen is a great habit to have. Added to a cup of hot broth, it’s a great snack on a cold, wintry night. And that ricotta is a snap to make. You’ll ove the cheese. Promise! 🙂

What a lovely gift for Zia (and all of us that you share with!). My favorite Italian restaurant does an egg ravioli with a tiny shaving of truffle – to. die. for. Hubby and I split a plate as a second course when we go 🙂
Loved seeing that photo of Max watching Zia make the ravioli – brought a much-needed giggle to start the morning!

Thanks, Marie. I was very happy to prepare that dinner for her. How she marveled as she watched me make the ravioli! I get such a kick of stuff like this with her. I do think, though, that next time, I’ll just use chicken eggs, serve one per person, and be done with it. I am far too ham-fisted to fiddle with quail eggs.
Max was on his best behavior that day and I took that photo for the family. When we made ravioli the time before, he was left alone for a minute in that room and quickly ate the ravioli that was to be that night’s dinner. Never again!

Loved the comparison of the back porch before and after photos. Looks great!
Also, your “how to make the ravioli sequence” should be in a cooking magazine, John. I hope you video yourself doing this as if the star of a cooking show, That would be something to see and hear!
I see in Chicago, your blog is snowing but don’t worry, it’s just flurries right now. Wouldn’t it be something if it accumulated at the bottom of the screen. Have to run off to school but reading your blog and thinking about your Christmas with ravioli is a wonderful start to my day! Thanks for keeping up with my blog and writing your thoughtful comments.

You’re always so supportive, Ruth, and I do appreciate it very much. Yes, the porch is finished and inspected. Max reigns over his yard again. 🙂
A video of me in the kitchen would go viral as some sort of blooper reel. You’ve no idea how many attempts to make these ravioli were made before that sequence of pics. They’ve also been cropped very effectively.
It would be something f the snowflakes gathered at the screen’s bottom edge. As it is, we here do a have a couple of inches of the white stuff and tonight there are wind chill warnings. The temp will be about 0˚ but the wind cold make it feel like -20˚. Now, that’s cold!

Thanks, Phil. I don’t know how skilled ou are working with delicate or small things but I highly suggest buying extra eggs. I’m all thumbs and I went through a few eggs trying to coax those yolks out of the shells. Somewhere quail hens were crying. 🙂

Thanks, Maureen. Spinach would work very well here. For us, using chard was a welcome change. Yes, getting that porch done just before the really sever weather struck is wonderful. I’m sure that work crew is happy about it, too. I don’t know how they can work in the cold like that.

Thanks, Colline. It’s nothing really to make these ravioli. It’s getting the yolk out of the quail egg that I found daunting. I’m just not good at delicate work. Glad I didn’t try being a brain surgeon. 🙂

So glad you were able to get the needed quail eggs to make Zia’s birthday feast, I picture her beaming with joy and savoring every bite. So thoughtful of you to substitute Swiss chard, your mom’s favorite, for spinach as a means of bringing her to Zia’s birthday dinner. What did you do with the broken yolks and egg whites?
Bet you and Max are glad the porch is completed. Will you need to paint it or leave it to age naturally? (Sorry, asking too many questions.)

Thanks, Norma. yes, it was a nice dinner that we shared that night. Zia is very appreciative of anything I do. Initially, I thought we’d save the eggs but, soon there were bits of shell in the “waste” bowl and it would have been impossible to get them out. Working with raw eggs, I was in a time crunch and really didn’t have time to mess with the broken yolks. Besides, their volume wasn’t that great. In total, I don’t think they would have equalled a small chicken egg.
I am so glad to have that porch finished, Norma. I felt bad for the workers in this bitter cold and hope they’re home and not at another job site. The wood used is all treated and won’t need to be painted or stained. I do have a spray to treat the wood every Summer but it’s just a light coat. It will help, though, to keep the wood in tip-top shape for decades to come. No more painting. Yay!
You’re not asking too many questions, Norma. Ask all that you want. I’ll answer as many as I can. 🙂

Thank you. I rarely make ravioli with using a die/mold. Zia and I can really whip them out, production line-style. WIth these, though, you cannot use the dies. It was a little daunting for me, at first, as I learned the technique. The photos, thankfully, were from a successful “run”. You wouldn’t have wanted to see the earlier attempt. 🙂

Thanks, Sally. I had planned on making these for Saturday night’s dinner but Zia and her friends went to Saturday evening Mass. I shifted the dinner to Sunday and she watched and helped me make them. Perfect! When you’re ready to make ravioli, I’ll be here to lend a hand, virtually of course.
Max had been warned not to try anything. The time before, when Zia and I spent an afternoon making ravioli, Max was left alone in that room for all of a minute. He ate our dinner, about 3 dozen large ravioli — all raw. That was all he ate that night and he’s been closely watched whenever we make ravioli ever since. 🙂

Right – that’s it, i am going to grow quail! I love their eggs and they are perfect in this delightful recipe..my eggs were so big I could not use my molds.. though i do for other ravioli.. Tell Zia I love her apron! c

I spoke with Zia a short while ago — wanted to make she was all set for the cold temps — and gave her your message. She laughed, as I’m sure you knew she would. Yeah, they don’t make a mold big enough to hold a chicken egg. I don’t think a mold would work with any sized egg, to be honest. The ravioli in the mold is treated too harshly for the yolk to stay whole. Funny. You want to try quail eggs and I want to try using chicken eggs. “The grass is always greener …”
If you don’t get your own quail, next Summer I’ll buy quail eggs for you the weekend before you come into town for shopping. You can see how easy/difficult they are to use. You may wish to forget about them altogether. Stay warm !

I have a question rather than a comment. I love home made pasta but I don’t have a pasta machine. How do I make the pasta dough without the machine? How thin should the dough be? Last time I made ravioli I used wonton wrappers. They came out too thin and slimy. Thanks for your help.

Mom didn’t have a machine for much of her life. Place your flour in a mound on the work surface. Make a well in the center. Place your eggs in the well. With a fork, scramble the eggs and slowly bring in a little flour from the edge of the well. Continue mixing a bit of flour into the eggs, switching to using your hands. Eventually the dough will form and then start kneading it. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover with wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, use a rolling pin to roll part of the dough into a sheet.For ravioli like these, you’ll want the dough to be pretty thin, about 1/16 of an inch. If you hold it up, with your hand underneath, you should be be able to see your hand.
I wasn’t sure if you could access YouTube but, if you can, check out this video.
I hope this helps you.

What fantastic ravioli! You definitely need extra eggs – they have tough shells and it’s easy to break the yolks.
I’m going to be on the lookout for seagull eggs next year, they cost an absolute fortune, but are supposed to be worth it for the taste 😉

Add to the eggs’ strength the fact that I am not good with anything delicate or small and, without extras, this would have been a disaster.
Seagull eggs? I’m trying to find venison. If I start asking for seagull eggs people are going to talk — way more than they already do. 🙂

What beautiful ravioli! And I LOVE that you included mom in Zia’s birthday celebrations! I’ve never had egg yolk ravioli but I’m sure that I’d love them. Every time we go to the market, Emma, my 10 year-old, always asks if we could buy quail eggs. I always reply that I wouldn’t know what to do with them. Well, now I do! And one day, I just might make these.

Your backyard deck looks fabulous! Too bad it’s not warm enough to sit out there with a glass of vino and enjoy the view! 🙂

Thanks, Lidia. You’re probably better working with small, delicate things. Me? Not so much. I’m not so sure I’d use quail eggs again. For a while, it was a comedy of errors as I tried to crack the egg and get that yolk out of the shell in one piece. In time, I may decide it wasn’t so bad and try again. If you listen carefully, you may hear my screams of anguish. 🙂
It really won’t be that long before we both will be sitting in the sun enjoying a glass of wine. It will be nice, though, to see a new porch when I do. 🙂

What an absolutel fantastic post John- I have yet to christen my new ravioli mold but the round cutter would be perfect for this. Thse quail eggs are tough to crack – my trick is to gently cut around them without cutting right through initially with a small serrated knife, then a little tap on the crack and they usually come apart without breaking the yolk. Love that your mum was part of the meal too – via the chard – what a beautiful thought!

Thanks, Tanya. You know if I lived anywhere near you, that mold would have been used long ago. It’s not an antique and preserving it will not increase its value. 🙂
Thanks, too, for the tip on cracking quail eggs. I’m not so sure I’ll need it, though. I’m just not meant to work with such small, delicate things. A “bull in a china shop” comes to mind. In time, maybe I’ll get the nerve to try them again, or, I’ll make one big raviolo per person, each with a chicken egg yolk inside. Easy peasy.
When Mom was still with us, after Dad passed, I went home for her birthday every year. I would take her to that area’s finest restaurant on her birthday and Zia always came with us. It was only natural, therefore, to include Mom in Zia’s birthday dinner. 🙂

I love the idea of the giant raviolo! And tomorrow my best pal is coming over and we’re going to dig out that “antique” and make crab stuffed ravioli…we’ll toast you as we do of course 🙂 Love the birthday tradition with your mom and Zia…moments like that make life very special and keep the memories alive (just as you are doing with your wonderful blog).

Your ravioli are so beautiful, John, with the yolk just barely peeking through the dough. I’ve never had egg ravioli, but would imagine it is pretty rich with the yolk so it seems like as part of a multi-course meal fewer would be better. But then these look like they taste so wonderful that I’d eat as many as were placed in front of me! I’m sure Zia loved these and that they added a special element to her birthday dinner. 🙂

Thanks, Betsy, and you’re right on all points. These are a great starter, primo piatto, and I think more than a few might be too much for a big dinner. Still, they do make a good impression if served as part of a holiday or celebratory dinner Zia did love them but she is my best taster. She’s very appreciative of everything I make. It would have to be pretty foul for her to ever say it wasn’t good. 🙂

Thank you, Sue, for the nice compliment. Once I got the yolk out of the shell, it was smooth sailing. Cracking that shell and piecing the membrane, without ruining the yolk, was a real problem. For a while, it was a comedy of errors. 🙂

It would be a rare thing to find Quail’s eggs around here { remind me why I live here again? }.. and I’ve never seen this recipe or tasted a ravioli dish with eggs tucked inside. I think I’d want this for breakfast as well, I’d have to get up mighty early to do that:D These would be perfect for a light supper with a salad on the side too. Is this the Sarah I know? I wondered if she’d stopped blogging.. I miss that girl! Love your new deck, it looks mighty sturdy and perfect for Max! xx

Thank you so much, Barb, though I think yo’ve a pretty good idea why you live in that beautiful part of the World. I found my quail eggs at the farmers market. The vendor that sells me duck eggs has quail eggs occasionally. I bet if you asked around, you, too, might find a vendor. These are rich enough that they would make a nice meal with a side salad, as you suggest. I had such a tough time with the quail eggs, though, I’m not so sure I’ll make them again, or, if I do, I’ll use chicken eggs. I’ll make one, if used as a starter, or two, if used as a main.
Yes, I was speaking of the Sarah we all know. She comes around occasionally — though not nearly enough. I do miss her posts and positive comments.
That deck will probably outlast me. It was built to survive Armageddon. 🙂

I want I want I want – those quail eggs inside that ravioli!! Creative John, very creative. This would have any kid who does not like greens have them too! And quail eggs, yummm!!! John, one trick I use to break quail eggs is to use small scissors to snip the top off, and then invert the egg onto the dish – plops out perfect, every time, without fail. The shells are strong, but very flexible, and they cut easy….Maybe I should blog about it….but it really works.

Thanks, Minnie, but I’ve one question. Where were you when I needed you? 🙂
I did have a rough time of it and never considered using scissors to get to the yolks. I sure wish I had. Believe me, if you blog about it, I will memorize that post!
And yes, you can hide greens or just about any healthy food you want in ravioli. Even the most finicky eater at your table will gobble them up. 🙂

Thanks, Arlene, I love to hear that. I want my recipes to be used by the youngest members of my family who will never see the cooks I watched. They’ll have no idea of how these dishes are prepared. I hope my photos will make it easier for them. When I read a compliment like yours, I think “Success!” 🙂

Such delicious photos again, John. I love ravioli, although I must confess that I’ve never made it from scratch. Your pics make it look very easy.Turkey risotto sounds really great. I’m looking forward to this one. Happy holidays to you and the clan. 🙂 Nice renovations!

Thank you on all counts. One you make ravioli, you;ll see it’s not as hard as you might think and the more experience you get, the easier it becomes. I find using molds the easiest way to go but plenty of others make them as I did in today’s post. When you’re ready to give it a try, let me know. We’ll do it together. 🙂

What a great recipe! I’ve been wanting to make this dish forever, but just haven’t gotten around to it. Good job – love the idea of the quail eggs. Although I might be inclined to make bigger ravioli and use chicken eggs. Brown butter sauce is good on this sort of dish. Try rosemary sometime in place of sage – it’s terrific. BTW, I much prefer Swiss chard to spinach in ravioli, and in most Italian (and Indian!) dishes that call for spinach (salads excepted). Plus it’s easy to grow (although I know you have limited space). New back porch looks great, BTW. Good post – thanks.

Thanks, John. To be honest, I’m not so sure I’ll make them with quail eggs again. I’m all thumbs with some of this stuff and quail eggs tested all of those thumbs, believe me. One large, chicken egg-filled raviolo for a primo piatto will be fine — and so will my nerves. Mom was such a chard lover and I’ve inherited it. It certainly did taste good here and I’d like to use it again with some of the other ravioli recipes. It’s a relief having that porch done, especially with the cold snap we’re experiencing. No one wants to take a detour to get to their car in the morning when it’s 0˚. 🙂

I would say you’ve outdone yourself with this post, but then I’ve said that many times! I think this time it’s simply that this is so very appealing to me. It comes under the heading of “comfort food.” I love the beauty of the quail eggs, and everything about this ravioli is so unexpected to me, but really warming and satisfying. I also really appreciate that you included the Swiss Chard to bring Mom to the party. What a special inclusion. I simply can’t imagine anyone not enjoying all of your ravioli specialties, John! And love the finished exterior project! Nicely done! It looks like you’re set for a long time to come. 🙂

Thanks, Debra, for the wonderful compliments. These are an unusual ravioli and don’t appear on many menus. I guess it’s because they cannot be mass produced in advance. Too many concerns when dealing with raw eggs. That’s great, though, if you wish to spring them on your guests. Most will never have seen anything like them before. They do make an impression. After Dad passed, I took Mom out to dinner on her birthday and Zia always accompanied us. It was only right that Mom join us for Zia’s birthday dinner. )
Thanks, too, about the porches. They will outlast me. Well, they’d better. I can’t afford to do this again!

yes! the legendary egg filled raviolo! I’ve only dreamed of making this one day. I remember watching master chef (season two I think), and this lady that eventually wins, and whose name escapes me, makes it to the final after making this dish. Such elegant dish and you made it even fancier by using quail eggs. Brilliant post as always John!

Thanks, Paul. Was that the winner Stephanie Izard? She has a restaurant here in Chicago and a diner across the street. Anyway, these area great dish and make an impressive primo piatto. Working with quail eggs, though were a bit do a pain. Not so sure I want to do that again. Chicken egg yolks are so much easier to separate and you only need one per serving. Time will tell. 🙂

My mistake, Paul. Sorry. You wrote “Master Chef” and I read “Top Chef.” Yes, I remember Stephanie. She was a very talented cook. I wonder where she is now? Have you watched the BBC’s Top Chef. I love the tone of it. Their judges aren’t nearly as insulting nor theatrical. There’s no cursing nor plates slammed into the trash. It’s all about the food and that’s why I watch these programs.

Yeah, I’ve watched top chef, it is definitely a more professional take on tv cooking shows, beautiful cooking, very high end, and more respectful towards the contestants like you say, I don’t have cable tv, so it’s hard to keep up with any cooking show but I enjoy them via YouTube when I can 🙂 I have Netflix, if you havent, this movie: haute cuisine is really fun

Wow, this is such a great dish!
I used to make similar raviolis (with soft goat cheese rather than the ricotta) while working at a restaurant years ago. I had to make so many I couldn’t even think about them in a very long time, as much as I love them…
Now your post made me remember how good they are, with the fresh runny yolk combined with the sauce and the cheese and pasta…. It gave the urge to get over the restaurant trauma and make them soon… Thank you! 🙂

Thanks, Ronit. I’ve a feeling I know what you mean about “restaurant trauma.” Far too many years ago, I worked in a family-owned factory that made Italian foods. Lasagna day was the worst! 🙂
You described them perfectly. They are a delicious and impressive dish to serve. Being so few people know of them, it is a surprise to many when you serve them. I like that.

I just love this post, John. The lengths you went to to give Zia a special birthday meal! And ravioli with running egg yolk filling is my absolute favourite pasta dish. But I’ve never made it! You don’t even find it on all that many menus in restaurants, probably because of the work involved! I had worked with quail eggs before but like you say, they’re very fiddly and yes, having some spares is essential. Your sage episode is very funny – I won’t say you remind me of my husband – he has severe domestic blindness and I have to be like Zia and the finder of all things lost – not actually lost; just right where he left them! xx

Thanks, Charlie, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.You’re right that this is a great dish and I don’t see it on many menus at all. Like you said, I think it would be awfully hard to make them in a restaurant kitchen. Too many concerns dealing with raw egg, I imagine. Glad you mentioned that you, too, have used quail eggs. I should have googled it first or something. I thought it was just like cracking a chicken or duck egg. Was I ever wrong! And yes, like your husband, I, too, suffer from a form of blindness, though mine is confined to the kitchen, any kitchen apparently. Honestly, I have doubles of some things because I’ve been unable to find something and ran to a store to buy another, only to find the missing item when I returned home. 🙂

I could ogle those ravioli all day. I’ve never heard of an egg filled ravioli but it looks so good my mouth is watering. It did take me a minute to figure out why you didn’t mention using the mushrooms that were sitting in the dish until I did a dope slap & realized they were the quail eggs in the shells. You do manage to find the greatest ingredients.
The porch looks great! Did you add the patio under it or was that always there? I’ll bet Max is glad to have things back to normal.

Thanks, Diane. Considering how fast Zia and I can whip up ravioli using our dies, making these was an incredibly long process. I’m not sure I’ll make them again using quail eggs, though I imagine making really large ravioli with a chicken egg yolk probably has another set of problems to conquer. There are no free lunches.
I am very pleased with the porches, thank you. I installed that deck to the right of the porches about 10 years ago. Neither porch is large enough to enjoy in any way, so, a deck gives us all a place to sit outside on a warm evening.

John, this is so unique and interesting!! I’ve never seen anything like this but how I love to have a fried egg on top of anything, this is something I would love! What a nice birthday dinner! And what amazing change on your steps!! I love viewing before and after home improvement projects, sometimes just changing the littlest things makes everything look so much better!

Thanks, Linda. These raviolo aren’t as popular as most. Being they contain raw egg, maybe restaurants shy away from dealing with them. I don’t think that they can be mass-produced before service. They are good, though, and a real treat, just right for holiday or celebratory meal. I’m glad that porch is done and, more importantly, won’t need to be painted ever again. After the 2nd year, the paint begins to fade and chip, making the porch look in far worse shape than it actually was. It certainly looks better now! 🙂

Thanks, Ingrid. Yes,it’s a relief to get the deck finished and inspected before Christmas. We’re warm, all right, but I’m staying indoors except for necessities. This kind of cold is ridiculous, even for Chicago. 🙂

Thank you. I can only imagine the scene with you and your SousChefs cracking the quail eggs, let alone making the ravioli. I can remember us “helping” Mom when she made ravioli. We all started with the best of intentions but it never ended well. 🙂

So many things to love about this post… Max steals the show although I think he’d prefer the ravioli Zia is making. I haven’t yet had the time or courage to venture into DIY pasta but this may be the recipe that tips me over the edge. A lovely birthday surprise for Zia 🙂 I’m pleased to see the construction work complete, and your stairs a& deck will be safe for the winter.

Thank you, EllaDee. You’re right about Max. He has been known to sneak some ravioli off of the table, while both of us are there working! We only know he’s done it when we go to count them at the end of the day. Our dies make 12 ravioli at a time. So how do we end up with an odd number of ravioli? And we’re not off by one or two. It’s more like 6 or 7. He’s not talking.
This is a great recipe, EllaDee, and quite an intro to DIY ravioli. You can do it, though. Just be careful with those quail eggs and you’ll do fine. I’m glad about the deck, too. It’s a relief to have it done and before the holidays. Yay!

Oh I DO wish we had smellavision and tasteavision available ’cause these look just absolutely wonderful! They are also one of my very favourites altho’ it has been quite a few years since I took the time to patiently make them!! One challenge to be filed!! And good to see you have a safe back of the house especially with a furious winter upon you!!

Thanks, Eha. If we had smellavision and tasteavision, none of us would get anything done. We’d be seated at our monitors all day, sniffing and tasting every post we read. If you’ve experience making ravioli, these won’t be that difficult — once you wrangle the yolks out of those quail egg shells. I’m not much of a yolk wrangler, I’m afraid. Yes, it is great to have the porch work done and just in time before this cold spell hit. No more detours through a neighbor’s yard to get to the garage. Wonderful!

Hi There,
This post is looking so beautiful ! Thanks for sharing awesome posts!
I enjoyed browsing through your other wonderful recipes. It was a real delight to see and learn so much from your each and every post. Hope to see more of your creative endeavors in the New Year. Have a wonderful Holiday Season and stay Warm !
Thanks & Regards, Sonia

This was such a nice compliment to leave, Sonia. I’m glad that you’ve enjoyed my blog. I’ve just subscribed to yours and look forward to exploring it. Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to comment.
I hope your holidays are memorable in the best way.

These look so Delicious! My husband keeps mentioning he wants to get quails for the fresh eggs. He thinks he can sneak them past our home owner’s association since we can’t have chickens! Some day I will make homemade ravioli, maybe sooner than I think. Thanks for another great recipe.

You’re welcome. I give your Husband credit. He’s going to get fresh eggs one way or another! It must be hard for you, a Mother of 3, to find time to “play” in the kitchen. I don’t know how Moms do it. If you do decide to give it a try, I’ll be here to help in any way I can. 🙂

Hi, John,
Oh my – you have so many blogging friends! What a community you have built up. That is so wonderful. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this post. I actually saw the word “beet” and really perked up, hehe. Little did I know, you were actually speaking of swiss chard. Oh, dear, you are too smart for me! 🙂
The recipe looks amazing. Obviously, I would make and eat it any day. As long as I was able to find some quail eggs. OH MY – your hard work was worth it in the end. After missing out, you saved a few bucks. I love a thrifty shopper! 😉 Though, honestly, how did you not eat these eggs on their own? That is restraint.
You know, my family consists of Abba and the two kids, and my brother who lives with us. I admire how much you love your large family – and take good care of them. I read that you used the past tense for your mother. That must be so hard for you to remember all the great things she showed you – but not have her there. Thank you for opening yourself up to all of us and passing on great family memories.
Warm regards (and a VERY happy Christmas)!,
Shanna

Howdy, Shanna!
We do belong to a wonderful community. It was one of the pleasant surprises of starting a blog. I never thought that I would become part of a virtual neighborhood like this.
It never occurred to me to use the quail eggs for anything but this recipe. I prefer to think of it as being determined, though you might call it a one track mind. These are usually made with chicken egg yolks and are quite larger. One of two is the normal serving size. Quail eggs, being so much smaller, allow you to play around with the servings. I like that each raviolo has s “surprise” inside.
Mom has been gone 11 years now, Shanna, but she’s never really far. She’s left her mark on just about every recipe and there’s usually a memory of her with each, too. Our families may be different sizes but that doesn’t matter much. It’s the feelings and care shared between everyone. I look at your kids and no one will convince me that they are being raised in anything but a warm, loving household. They’re part of a beautiful family.
Thanks for the holiday wishes. I wish every happiness for you and your wonderful family in the New Year.
John.

Thank you, John. What a nice note. I am very happy to hear that your mom is still with you in so many ways – including in your memories and many, many, many recipes. 🙂 I agree, family is about what is shared between people, no matter the size. I am very lucky to have my little clan – I definitely count my blessings! Quail eggs sound like the ideal surprise for a raviolo! A unsuspecting gift given. You could probably enjoy the rich, cute little eggs on pasta and salads too. 🙂 I hope that your new year is filled with wonderful health and only good things! Warm regards, Shanna

Great idea about the scraps of leftover pasta! I’m going to start doing that too.

I’d never heard of ravioli with an egg/swiss chard filling before. A certain husband of mine would really like this. And good tip about the quail eggs having a thicker membrane. I’ll keep that in mind if I use quail eggs instead of the regular ol’ hen eggs.

Mom didn’t waste much in her kitchen. That container of quadretti came in handy when one of us came home not feeling well.
I think the membrane seems so thick on a quail egg because the egg itself is so small and I treated it more gently. I just didn’t crack it as hard as I would a chicken egg and I was always worried about ruining that yolk. A commenter suggested using a pair of scissors to cut the shell, while another uses a small serrated knife to open it up. Frankly, anything would be better than what I was doing. Zia was lucky. She got dinner and a show for her birthday. 🙂
The porch is a great improvement over the old, thank you, and I’m very happy it was finished before Christmas. What a relief!

Wow, ravioli with quail eggs. That is just so brilliant! I want so much to make these, but where to get the eggs? Would small chicken eggs do? I just know they’ll be a big hit! Thanks, John, for sharing the recipe. XOXO, Angie. The house looks great, btw.

Thank you so much, Angie. These ravioli are normally made with chicken eggs. They pose a different set of problems. With quail eggs, trying to get the yolks out of the shells, whole, was my biggest obstacle. Though it is easier to get a chicken egg yolk and separate it, the ravioli are much larger. The yolks seem easier to ruin when they’re being covered with pasta and cooking is a bit trickier. Being so large, you have to leave them in the boiling water a bit longer lest you serve your guests raw yolks. Cook them too long and you’ll hard boil them. Even so, there’s much more yolk to spill onto the plate when each raviolo is pierced. That alone is worth the effort. 🙂

So, John, what did Zia think of her surprise ravioli dinner? Did she enjoy them? It is a nice surprise I think to cut into the ravioli and find it oozing with liquid gold, yummy! So, I was looking at those quail eggs wondering how the heck you managed to crack open the tiny shells let alone separate the yolk, then I read your recommendation to get extras 🙂
Great recipe and one worth trying for someone with patience, I promise I’ll muster up patience to try these, they look really good. House looks really great, btw!

Thanks, Nazneen. Zia is very appreciative of anything I serve. She’s my biggest fan. She watched me bumble with those quail eggs and you might say she got dinner and a show. And she enjoyed both, though she was considerate enough to not laugh or snicker when I ruined another yolk. Yes, do get extras! You’re right, too. Patience is your friend. 🙂

I don’t think I’ve ever tried quail eggs before, do they taste like regular eggs? Sorry if that’s a dumb question! I’m intrigued! Zia is very luck to have you cook such wonderful delights for her John! xx

Hi, Lisa! Quail eggs taste very much like a regular egg. Their yolks are much smaller, however, and I think easier to envelope in pasta dough. The hard part is getting the little yolk out of the shell in one piece. It’s nice to be able to treat her to these dishes, Lisa. After all, she and Mom treated me to fantastic meals for much of my life. It’s food karma. 🙂

What a beautiful first course to prepare for Zia! They look absolutely wonderful John! I’m going to give your ravioli recipe a try over the next few weeks (during our summer break), when I have time to relax and enjoy the whole process.
The finished reno looks marvellous – you must be so pleased with the results! 🙂

Thanks, Margot. This dish is a great starter for a festive dinner. It’s impressive and tastes really good. I hope you do try to make ravioli at home. Like anything else, it may take a little time to understand the process and find your rhythm but, once you do, you’ll be on your way. Yes, I’m very pleased with that porch and Max can have access to the yard as much as he wants again. I don’t even think he’s noticed the porch yet. He’s been too busy running into the yard and going on patrol. 🙂
Good luck making ravioli. If you’ve questions, I’m here.

What a labor of love. I am so impressed! I always see quail eggs at the Asian markets I go to. Never have been brave enough to buy them though. Thanks for filling me in on the shells! John, this looks like an awesome birthday celebration and my bday is this month! Do I dare? Hey! the new porches look great!

Thanks, Abbe. I don’t normally go to that area of “my” Asian markets, sticking primarily in the spice, herb, and vegetable areas. I need to check to see if they carry fresh quail eggs It will sure beat waiting for the farmers market to return in May. A prior commenter suggested using a pair of scissors to cut the egg, while another said to use a sharp, serrated knife. Anything would be better than what I did, gently cracking the egg like I would a chicken egg. Yes, that cracked the shell but that darn membrane just wouldn’t open up. Do buy extras! 🙂

Hi John, thank you so much for the link and shootout, I’m very flattered. Your ravioli looks amazing, and I do love that you used quail eggs instead of a large egg; it certainly makes the ravioli a more manageable size and serving would be more than one! Again you have made my mouth water with your tantalizing recipe, making me want to make this again for lunch. It may even make a wonderful appetizer course for New Years Eve — our friends are coming to celebrate! I’m glad that Zia liked it too, the warm, runny yolk certainly does take this rather simple dish to the next level. The swiss chard is also a lovely change but what really warms my heart is the reason you chose that wonderful veggie! I’m sure your dear Mom would love this dish.

Hello, Eva! You, Celi, and Sarah pointed me in the direction of today’s recipe. Of course I mentioned you. I did like being able to serve a number of these but there is something to be said for making one large raviolo per person. I just wasn’t used to making ravioli this way, not to mention fiddling with egg yolks at the same time.
After Dad had passed, I went home every year for Mom’s birthday and I’d take her to what I consider to be that area’s best restaurant. Zia, of course, always joined us. Well, with that history, it was only natural to include Mom in Zia’s birthday dinner. 🙂

Hi John, another great post! I’ve made ravioli with only an egg yolk before, but not combined with chard and ricotta. Your recipe does take quite some skill, not only to get the egg yolks out but also to keep them whole when sealing the ravioli. Nice that it creates its own ‘sauce’ when you cut into them. Bravo!

Thank you, Stefan. Your compliments always mean a lot. Like Zia, I was pleasantly surprised how well the chard and ricotta worked together. As you know, we always used spinach and (cream) cheese in our ravioli. It never occurred to me to use the yolks alone as filling. Though that might be a bridge too far for my family, I’d like to give it a try just to see how they are.

As you probably remember I recently used chard with ricotta in pansoti. I actually prefer chard over spinach because I’m not overly fond of the astringent flavor that spinach often has. It usually requires cream to fix that, so I’m not surprised you use cream cheese instead of ricotta. Which is also a good reason for me to try this some time, despite my misgivings about using store-bought cream cheese in Italian cooking. (Italians do it too, by the way. Not very traditional but they do it.)

What a wonderful recipe, Jonh! So, so special! A perfect Christmas present for your beloved readers!!! Thank you! 🙂
P.S. I’m sure you are relieved that the renovations are over and you are back to normal before the holidays.

Thanks, Francesca. Although we serve the traditional Bartolini ravioli for Christmas an cappelletti for New Year’s, these would make a perfect primo piatto for either holiday. Who would expect to see yolk gush out of their ravioli? Santa’s not the only one with surprises. 🙂
You are so right about the porches. It’s a major relief to have them finished and the yard cleaned up before Christmas. Whew!

Thanks, Sarah. I think it’s the curse of being a food blogger. I cannot read all of these blogs without starting to crave something to eat. Your comment about “pasta sauce on the inside” is right on the money. You don’t need an elaborate sauce to dress these ravioli. Just let the yolks do it for you. You can’t get any more rich than that! 🙂

Thanks, April, it was a very nice dish and I was pleased with it, never having played with quail eggs before. Yes, I, too, like the porches and, best of all, they’re finished! Normalcy, such as it is, has returned to my humble abode. Yay!

I haven’t been by in awhile, John–too much work–but I check in today and the first thing I see is my favorite kind of ravioli! I’ve never had them with quail eggs and now you’ve made me curious. Very clever. Merry Christmas to you! Ken

He;;o, Ken. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been behind since my trip home in November and wonder if I’ll ever be current again. 🙂
My family has never served the giant ravioli that a chicken egg yolk would require. I thought a quail egg would allow for smaller pasta pillows. It did but I’d never worked with them before and I wasn’t at all prepared. If there’s a next time, I’ll do much better, I’m sure. I hope you and Jody have a wonderful Christmas.

Is it written in the stars?? Perhaps! For lo, I have in my refrigerator a nice bunch of sage leaves just waiting for their browned-butter baptism. Eggs, too. What a benevolent universe this is! 😉 Great and gorgeous post, John!

Thanks, Kathryn, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Though these were very good, if you use chicken eggs and make large ravioli, you will get much more yolk spilling onto your plate. Both are decadent; it’s a matter of degree. 🙂

Ciao John! wonderful and yummy post, as usually… 🙂 quail eggs are very popular in France, but never in ravioli… 🙂 we have them boiled(hard) as an apetizer with Dijon mustard… if you have some spare time and interest, here’s my humble recent dinner:http://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/have-a-yummy-friday/
* * *
buona notte, have a pleasant weekend and un abbraccio, Mélanie

Thanks, Melanie. I’ve not seen quail eggs used in ravioli, either. I used them here to make the ravioli smaller, like the ones my family normally prepares. I just looked at your post. That was a wonderful meal that you prepared and shared. Everything sounds delicious. 🙂

Bueno sera John! these little ravioli’s are amazing and you must have the patience of a saint to pull this off.. meaning not breaking the yolk. I can just imaging how amazing it would taste as you break it open and let the egg run over the pasta and swiss chard. Kind of like a birdie in the nest but just with ravioli instead. I sure hope there are flights straight from HK to Chicago.. see you in about 15 hours…save some for me. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. BAM

Thank you so much, BAM. It was a bit daunting, trying to crack those little eggs and rescue the yolks. As I mentioned in the post, be sure to buy extra eggs. With you a 15 hour flight away, there’s no need for me to save some for you. Just call me before you leave for the airport and I’ll have plenty of time to make up a new batch. 🙂
I hope you and your family have a fantastic holidays, too.

I have been away but saw your recipe on my phone couldn’t wait to get back and have a proper read. I love quail eggs but have never separated them. I wonder if the whites have a use? I have already ordered quail eggs for Christmas from my butcher and I am going to set some of the eggs aside so as to have a go at this recipe. Looks so impressive. As does your new wood work.

Welcome home! Thank you, Maria. I don’t know what you could do with the whites. The percentage of yolk to white is higher in a quail egg. It would take quite a few eggs to have an appreciable amount of white to use. Perhaps they could be added to chicken egg whites. I doubt that the two are very different.

Thanks, Celia. The only real hard part of the process was cracking the eggs and getting those yolks out in one, unbroken piece. That was a real chore. Yes, the porch is done, looks great, and, right now, snow covered. Some things never change. 🙂

I thought I had commented on this post but it seems that I hadn’t (though I did get lost in all of your fanmail so forgive me if I’ve posted twice!). Love the look of these quail egg ravioli, yum! I’ve eaten one with a warm runny chicken egg before but these look even more petite and beautiful. Definitely a must-try! Sorry that your friend Sarah is no longer mantaining her blog, seems like she’d be one to follow!

Glad you enjoyed the post, Laura. I would have made these with a chicken egg but never has my family served a raviolo so large that it could encompass a chicken egg yolk. On the other hand, using quail eggs was not an easy task. I’ll try it again, I’m sure, and maybe it will be better now that I know what to expect. Yes, I miss Sarah. She was a very kind-hearted person and I looked forward to her posts and comments. Maybe she’ll return. Fingers crossed!

This is what I call a labor of love my dear! I can imagine breaking into a ravioli and have a luscious yellow yolk pour out. Elegant and quite delicious! Sorry for being absent for a while from visiting here. Went on a holiday trip to see some of our family. Hope you had a nice Christmas and are enjoying your the rest of your holiday!

Thanks, MJ. This recipe is a bit more involved than I usually attempt, that’s for sure. I wast totally unprepared for dealing with the quail eggs. IF I do it again, I’ll be better prepared. Well, I hope so, anyway.
Not to worry about being absent. I, too, will be going AWOL very soon. I hope you enjoyed the time you spent with your family and wish you all the very happiest of New Years!

I had forgotten to ask how the construction was moving along (it looks to be on schedule). I remember Sarah’s post and I think it was even featured on freshly pressed…it was amazing. I do hope she’ll return to blogging. Your photos tell such a beautiful story and I love that when I read through your post that it’s more of a tutorial, rather than a hard and fast recipe. I’ve heard from several sources that those quail eggs can be a little tricky, yet I think I’d much prefer the size of the finished ravioli (with the quail egg) than with a chicken egg.

The porch was re-built just before the first snows hit. Lucky timing! I do miss seeing Sarah around and hope that she’ll pop in every now and again. This blog was originally intended to serve as a help to the youngest members of my family who never watched our family’s great cooks prepare our family’s dishes. I want them to be able to pick any recipe and recreate the dish without a problem. Kind comments like yours tell me I’m on the right track and I appreciate them. Yes, I hadn’t a clue about working with quail eggs and don’t know if I want to do it again. In an earlier comment, Eva said that the egg ravioli could be frozen. Now that puts the whole process in another light. My biggest problem was having to put together a dinner after having fiddled with those eggs all afternoon. Being able to make the ravioli a day or two ahead changes everything. Cooking times would change, however, and I’d need to test a few before cooking these for dinner guests. I know, I know. Eating all those test ravioli will be tough but it must be done. I’m a giver. 🙂
Thanks for leaving such a great comment and nice compliments, Allison. Wishing you and yours Health and Happiness in the New Year!

As you can tell, I’m way behind but I didn’t want this comment to go unanswered. I think it great, Richard, that you’re planning to make ravioli. You may find it a little daunting at first but, trust me, a cook as good as yourself will conquer the process easily and you’ll be on your way. I cannot wait to read your post about it. Good luck!